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Lifesavers warn about train dangers

Jesse Moya, Deming Headlight
Published 4:28 p.m. MT April 5, 2017

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Photos taken on active train tracks are something Operation Lifesaver warms against. The group has formed a sector in Deming to educate the public about the dangers and safety that needs to be adhered to near the rail roads.(Photo: Jesse Moya - Headlight Photo)Buy Photo

DEMING — In a national effort to teach community members the dangers of the railroads, a Deming chapter of Operation Lifesaver has been started and is looking to spread their message.

Operation Lifesaver, a nationwide effort to educate drivers and pedestrians about rail road safety, has brought their message to Deming following two recent incidents in town involving trains and drivers. Although collisions on the rails are not an extremely common occurrence, the organization feels the need to ensure everyone have the proper education to be able to save at least one life with their lectures.

“We don’t try to promote the bad, we try to promote the education,” said Operation Lifesaver Representative John Staehle. “Deming has already had the two tragedies last year, and we didn’t have anything like Operation Lifesaver in town.”

Staehle has done several presentations in the area on behalf of the group and is planning to book more in the future. The presentations have a number of videos and slides to teach people the various rules and dangers surrounding the railroad and the trains. New Mexico was built on the foundation of the railroad and because of this, many town sit on old or existing rail paths.

Much of the presentation focuses on the dangers of playing on the tracks as well as how to handle certain situations which are unavoidable when crossing them. Staehle says most of the incidents that occur are due to failure to comply with or observe the rules on the rails. According to Staehle, trains can take, on average, nearly a mile to come to a dead stop. Because of this, Operation Lifesaver is trying to educate people about rules governing tracks.

“20 minutes of listening to me might save 20 kids in an audience,” Staehle said. “You have to treat every railroad crossing like a major crossing.”

Staehle is working trying to get the program into the schools to teach students about railroads and especially wants to work with high school students who have just started driving. One of the videos in the program focuses on teen driving habits and encourages them to take the warning signs of the railroad serious. Many crossings around New Mexico do not have the standard bar and red lights to indicate a train route and instead may have the minimum required of a simple white “X” sign. In this case, Staehle says it is important to keep an approximate of 15 feet away from the tracks to maintain safety.

While playing or walking on the tracks may seem like a harmless venture to many, Staehle wants to get across to the community that it is not only dangerous but highly illegal to trespass on railroad property.

“Operation Lifesaver will only educate you to mind the laws and the signs,” Staehle said. “I don’t want people to spend time in jail, but most of all I don’t want parents and friends to grieve for the rest of someone’s life because they’re dead.”